Seal-lock



R. M. SULLY.

(No Model.)

SEAL LOCK.

Patented Mey 11, 1886 MMM? MQW mum.

'UNITED STATES v"PATizN*r Errori.

Bonner M. sonni', or PETERSBURG, vrneiNrA.

s'EAL-LCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,779. dated May ll, 1886.

Application liled February 13, 1886. Serial No. 191,833. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. SUvLnY, a citizen ol' the United States, residing at Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented vcertain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks for Gars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the invention, such as will enable others skillel intheart to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

My invention relates to seal locks for frei ght cars and the like; and it consists in providing simple and efficient means whereby an ordinary tag, such as is employed for a shippingtag, may be used as a seal without the necessity of a separate metallic or other sealing appliance.l f

ith my construction of lock, when the sealing-tag has once been applied, it will be impossible lo withdraw the bolt without breaking or destroying the tag; and the condition ol' the tag will always indicate unmis` takably whether the lock has been tampered with.

The particular construction in which I have embodied my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichNq Figure l represents a portion of a car with my improved lock applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly sectional, of a detached portion of my lock; and Fig. 3 shows one form of tag which I use as a seal.

Referring to Fig. l, A represents au ordinary freight-car, and B the door of the usual manner. b b are shoes secured to the car-door, and a a are the rails along which the door slides. The hasp C is secured to the cardoor in the usual way, the lock itself being bolted to the door-frame, as shown at l).

The details of the lock are best illust-rated in Fig. 2, E being the stapleover which the hasp C is adapted to fit, and F being the bolt ofthe lock. The bolt is adapted to slide in openings g and 7L iu the posts G and H, respectively, the opening in post G being just large enough to fit loosely around the bolt,and

that in the post H being somewhat larger, for

a reason that will be hereinafter explained.

rI he post G is provided with a second opening, m, which extends from the opening g longitudinally through the post and is closed by a countersunk screw, n. \Vithin the opening m is a catch, c, which is pressedl out by a spring, s, against the bolt F, in the vertical opening g. The catch is prevented from turning on its longitudinal axis by a rod or. pin, k, which passes through the opening and through a slot. o, in the body ol' the catch.

The boltF is provided with two notches,i z', on opposite sides, with one or the other ot' which the catch c will engage when the bolt is in its locked position. rlhe bolt can, howev er, be pushed downward without being interrupted by the catch c by turning it so that either ofthe sides not notched shall pass over the catch. In like manner the boltcan be released from engagen'ient with the catch by drawn upwarduntil the latter has entered the slits w w in the post H, and one ofthe notches 'i t' has come into engagement with the catch c. Now, one of the not-ches fi i is on the same side of thc bolt as the hook t. rIhere being two notches i fi on opposite sides of the bolt, it can be drawn into the locked position with either surface of the tag exposed to view. To facilitate the saine end, about half the body of the bolt is cut away just above the hook.

It is evident that when the bolt is once locked by the catch and the sealing-tag is in place, the bolt cannot be withdrawn without breaking the tag, and thereby betraying the fact of such withdrawal.

To avoid the danger of losing the bolt and thus destroying the lock, I pass a ring, lr, through the upper end of it and braze or weld the ends of this ring together so as to make it solid. I also make the hooked end of the bolt too large to pass through the openingg, though it will slide through the opening iI with little or no friction.

As a sealing appliance,l may use a tag similar to the ordinary shippingtag. This tag `may be marked, as indicated in Fig. 2S, with the name of the railroad company which is -responsible for the car and its contents, the

be provided at either side with columns of Iigures representing the days of two or more successive months,wth blanks at the top for the names of the months. I prefer to have the numbers printed or otherwise applied to the 5 tag invregular order from 1 to 3l in the lefthand column,and in reverse order from 3l to 1 in the right-hand column. By punching the proper numbers each conductor can indicate the dayson which the car came under and left his charge. the punches employed by various conductors will ordinarily be a sufficient indication as to whichone, if any, is responsible for delay o r injury'to the car or its contents. The matter I5 that is shown on the tag, however, can obviously be varied at will to suit varying needs without departing from the spirit of my invention; nur do ,I wish it understood that I confine myself to the use of a tag constructed like the ordinary shipping-tag, as I may employ a metallic tag or any other that is formed into a thin sheet.

Having now described iny invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 2 5 1s- The distinctive character of 1. In a seal-lock for cars, the locking-bolt and a fastening device formed thereon to pass through a perforation in -a seal, in combination with a post having a receptacle which incloses the bolt and fastening device, together 3o with the attached seal, when the bolt is in locked position, substantially as set forth.

2. In a seal-lock for cars, the combination, with the bolt F, provided with the hook tand the notch i, of the posts G and H, the slits w 35 w, and the catch c, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a seal-lock for cars, the bolt F, the posts G and H, the openings g and h, the enlarged hooked portion t, and the ring r, sub- 4o stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have alixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT M. SULLY.

Witnesses:

G. H. STOCKBRIDGE, E. C. BRQWN. 

